Wednesday, December 27, 2006

For my last show of 2006, I decided to do a best releases of 2006 show. I played new albums, reissues/remasters, and box sets. The order of the songs somewhat constitutes a list of the order of my favourite releases from 2006. There were some that didn't make the list, as far as overall releases which includes remasters, box sets, and new albums, this is what I thought of the music of 2006.

I just wanted to mention my favourite release of 2006 is the doors of perception box set. This set includes all of The Doors albums, as well as bonus tracks and videos. I played "Twentieth Century Fox" which is a song originally from The Doors first self titled album. According to the box sets linear notes, the first Doors album is not the correct speed. It is down a few steps, as a result of something that happened during the mastering process when copying from the master tapes. The box set includes a mix of the album at the correct speed (as well as the other way it has always been), and I played from the corrected speed version. It may be hard to notice, but if you were to listen to both versions of the album you can tell the difference, one is a little bit slower, and one is a little bit faster.

My second favourite release was the singles box set from The Clash. Since I've already posted about this box set, I will not discuss it any further. "I Fought The Law" was played from it though. My third favourite releases was the self titled Pearl Jam album. Pearl Jam was released in May of 2006. The album shows that Pearl Jam still can rock, even though they've made so many albums, and that they show no signs of stopping. "Unemployable" was played, it is a track that was written by drummer Matt Cameron and sounds very much like Pearl Jam doing a Black Sabbath song, in my opinion. If I were to choose albums that are composed of completely new material, this would be my top pick of 2006.

Unfortunately the Godfather of Soul, James Brown passed away on December 25th, 2006. James Brown has left behind a legacy of music that has influenced millions. A good majority of his songs have been sampled in various rap songs, he has also influenced bands such as The Clash, who have cited him as an influence for their funky songs. James Brown was a great musician, and his music will forever stand the test of time. I played "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" from the album Soul On Top. It is one of my favourite James Brown tracks, the version from Soul On Top, is a live version.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

On October 30th, The Clash released a 19-CD limited edition box set. On this box set are all the Clash's singles packaged individually as the original singles were but in CD form. The CD's contain a black surface on the back, as did The Rolling Stones, The Who's, and The Buzzcocks singles box sets.

On these CDS you also get bonus tracks. Some are dub versions/remixes of songs, some not. You get all The Clash singles and B-sides, and it also comes with a thick booklet. In the book you get musicians, fans, and friends of the band commenting on individual tracks. Some of the people that comment are Pete Townshend (The Who),Chris Shifflet (Foo Fighters), and Irvine Welsh (Author of Trainspotting). The actual sound of the songs appear to be of higher quality than all previous Clash remasters. It is definitely worth the price of the box set. It is a must for any Clash fan. For more information and more pictures of the single sleeves visit:

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Generation X, were a punk band that formed in 1976 around the same time as the UK punk scene. The name came from a book of the same title, which was about the mod scene in Britain. The band consisted of Billy Idol (vocals), Tony James (Bass), Bob Andrews (guitar), and original Subway Sect drummer Mark Laff on drums; The band originally had John Towe as their drummer, but Laff replaced him just before they signed to Chrysalis Records. The songs were written by both Billy Idol and Tony James (Billy providing the music, Tony the lyrics most of the time). The bands first incarnation was within the group Chelsea, with Gene October. Idol and James would leave this group and then form Generation X.

Signed to Chrysalis Records, their first self titled album came out in 1978. It is a harsh sounding album that fits in well with all the bands of the time. People always seemed to downplay Generation X because they were seen as "pretty boys". Generation X were deeply influenced by literature read by Billy Idol, The Who, Sex Pistols, and other classic rock bands. Some people say that they come off sounding like a very early version of Green Day, but most of Generation X's first album had a sound that was not unlike early Clash, Sex Pistols, and Buzzcocks. The bands first album was produced by Martin Rushnet (he would go on to produce the likes of Buzzcocks, XTC, and Stranglers). The album contained songs that lyrically made reference to everyday life in Britain, as well as other topics. The album contained notable songs such as "Day By Day", "One Hundred Punks", "From the Heart", "Promises, Promises" and "Kiss Me Deadly". "Kiss Me Deadly" was a slower ballad sounding track. "Ready Steady Go" was a hit in the UK charts, it went to # 47, they would also appear on Top of the Pops. They were one of the first punk bands to appear on the show, many felt it was un-punk to do so. The band also covered John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth", which appeared on US versions of Generation X.

In 1979, Valley of the Dolls was released. Named after a book of the same title, Valley of the Dolls was different than their first self titled release. It showed the band going into a harder glam rock direction. Most people overlook this album, but it contains songs like "Valley of the Dolls", "English Dream", and the Elvis Presley influenced song "King Rocker". The album was produced by Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter. The album did feature a few hit singles as well. "King Rocker" (#11), "Friday's Angels" (#62), and "Valley of the Dolls" (#23). The band began to have disagreements about the musical direction during/after this album. Some wanted to stay true to the bands original punk sound and some wanted to keep going into a harder rock direction.

After this the band actually recorded material for a third album, that came off sounding very new wave. It would eventually be called Sweet Revenge, but it would not be found until much later on. It was released in 2003, and actually features an early version of "Dancing with Myself" which is better than the version you're used to. Other great tracks are "Flash As Hell" and "Anna Smile". The band then split, but still released one more album in 1981, with a few different members. Kiss Me Deadly, featured the song "Dancing With Myself", and others that are on Sweet Revenge. The album featured different guitar players (Steve Jones from Sex Pistols, and Steve New) along with original Clash drummer, Terry Chimes. The band name would be shortened to Gen X. After this the band split up until they reunited in 1993, Billy Idol went on to front a successful solo career (using Generation X's version of "Dancing With Myself" as a single), Tony James went on to form the glam-punk band, Sigue Sigue Sputnik. He now is in the band Carbon/Silicon with Mick Jones from the Clash. Bob Andrews and Mark Laff would form the short lived band Empire. They released one album Expensive Sound; It was reissued in 2003. All of the Generation X albums have been re-released remastered with bonus tracks.

The song I Played by Generation X was "I Dig Everything" a song from the Sweet Revenge Era of the band. It can be found on the Generation X Anthology. For more Generation X/Billy Idol info visit this page.

I also played a live medley by The Hives. This was recorded for a Swedish TV show on October 20th, 2006. The Hives played a medley which consisted of seven songs, six of them being cover songs. Here is a list of the songs included in that medley:

1. List of Demands (Originally by Saul Williams)
2. Hey Ya! (Originally by Outkast)
3. Two thieves (Originally by Compulsive Gamblers)
4. Gotta Get Some Action Now! (Originally by Hellacopters)
5. Stay Fly (Originally by Three 6 Mafia)
6. Seven Nation Army (Originally by White Stripes)
7. Hate To Say I Told You So (A song by The Hives)

I just thought I'd add that the song "Hey Ya!" by Outkast was said to be inspired by The Hives, after seeing one of their live shows. Here's a link to watch the actual full performance of these seven songs by The Hives:

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Hey this week I had a really loud show, anyways, I'll be talking about The Damned this week. The Damned started off in a pool of musicians, in the late 70's among the musicians in this circle was Mick Jones (The Clash), Billy Idol (Generation X), and Chrisie Hynde (The Pretenders),and many others. The Damned formed just as punk was starting to pick up and scare people in the late 70's in the UK, in fact they were the first UK punk band that got a single released (it was "New Rose" in 1976). The band is influenced by MC5, The Stooges, The Beatles, and Sex Pistols, among others . The band formed in 1975/76 with Dave Vanian (Vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (Bass), and Rat scabies (Drums). The band was quite odd, lead singer Dave Vanian, dressed as a vampire on stage, the band has songs that dealt with things in sarcastic ways.

In 1977, Damned, Damned, Damned was released, it was the bands first full length album and the first UK punk album to be released. It was produced by Nick Lowe, there were some rumours that the album was actually sped up to sound faster, but this is just a rumour and is not known for sure. The album was energetic fast, and the first punk album the UK had to offer to the world. The follow up album Music For Pleasure, came out in 1978 and was produced by Nick Mason from Pink Floyd. The band originally wanted Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd to produce it, but they settled for Mason. The album has some great tracks and great song writing on it. It is often over looked by many because it doesn't sound exactly the same as the bands first album. The album is really great and I pick it as my favourite Damned album. After this album, Brian James decided to leave the group, he was the main song writer, but the band decided to keep going.

The band members switched positions, Captain Sensible went to guitar, and Ex-Saints bassist Algy Ward joined up with the group for their next album that would be titled Machine Gun Etiquette; it was released in 1979. The album turned out to be just as good as when The Damned had Brian James with them. After that bassists would keep switching and the band would continue to revolve members and play for along time. An album was released in 2001 titled Grave Disorder. The Damned were an odd band, they had quirky senses of humour and a vampire as a lead singer, they are definitely worth checking out.

The song played tonight was "One Way Love" from the album Music For Pleasure.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Hey this week I will be talking about The D4. The D4 are a band from New Zealand, most people haven't heard of this band. The band formed in 1998, by friends Jimmy Christmas and Dion (not much is known of the members names, except their first name). The D4 formed and started doing live shows in the New Zealand area. There isn't that much info about the band out there, the answer is in their music. Their first release was and EP, The D4 EP in 1999. In 2003 they released 6twenty, which seemed to cause a buzz, the band even appeared on some last night talk shows, but never cracked the mainstream audience. 6twenty is a great album it is a mix of old New York punk and classic rock such as the Rolling Stones. It is a loud, album, which just rocks, you don't hear rock this good anymore, you really have to hear it to believe how good it is.

In 2005, the band released Out of My Head, and sadly broke up in June of 2006. There is no word on whether they will reform or not, because according to their website, they are on hiatus for awhile. But over the album is equally rocking as 6twenty. All of the bands albums feature cover songs, the first covers of "Pirate Love" by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, and "Mysterex" by The Scavengers (an obscure New Zealand punk band from the 70s). On Out of My Head, there is a cover from the Limespiders (an obscure Australian punk band), and many others. Overall The D4, is a great band that sounds very similar to Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, and rock just as good as The Stooges, The Sonics, AC/DC, or MC5. It's too bad that a band this good, that should have been played on every single radio station in the world, is no longer together.

The song played by the band tonight was "Sake Bomb', a song that was inspired by Japan, Beer, and Sake. It is off their 2005 album, Out of My Head. More information can be found about The D4 on these two websites,their myspace pageFlying Nun Records Website

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

This week was CJAM's annual pledge drive, so I did a show to try and raise some money for the station. If you still wanna help out and make a pledge visit www.cjam.ca for more information. Below is a play list of what I played and some links to download the show.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

This week I'll be talking a bit about Sex Pistols. Well this band started everything really, because of Sex Pistols Joe Strummer broke up his band the 101'ers to form The Clash, Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley formed Buzzcocks, and tons of other bands ignited upon the punk rock fuse that was lit by Sex Pistols.

Sex Pistols were just a band in the right place at the right time. Formed in 1975, they were brought together by radical clothes designer Malcolm McLaren, to promote clothes and fashions from his shop. The band consisted of Steve Jones (Guitar), Paul Cook (Drums),Glen Matlock (Bass), and Johnny Rotten on vocals. The band played loud fast rock & roll songs, and that is all the group was a loud rock band with extreme attitude, courtesy of Mr. Johnny Rotten. Johnny Rotten brought emotion to the band, the band talked of the times in England and the Government. They brought up real and political themes in a format that was known as punk rock.

The media and many people were terrified of the band and Johnny Rotten, they were thought of as some to be evil. Their first single "Anarchy in The UK" caused the band to be dropped from their record label, EMI. A song about being dropped from their label was written and is featured on their only album Nevermind The Bollocks...Here's The Sex Pistols, it is called "EMI". Original bassist Glen Matlock, was fired just after this and just before their next single "God Save The Queen". The song would be banned by The BBC because of all the trouble it caused, it actually reached number one on the billboard charts, but the name of the song and the band appeared as a blank space atop of the charts. After the sacking of bassist Glen Matlock, Johnny Rotten's friend Sid Vicious was brought into the band. Sid could not play an instrument, and he was not featured on their record (the bass parts were played by guitarist Steve Jones). The band would self destruct during their first US tour, in January 1978. Johnny Rotten (real name John Lydon) would go on to form the post punk group Public Image Limited, Steve Jones would form the Professionals, and the other members were involved in other projects as well.

The song I played by the band tonight "Bodies" is a song which brings up issues of abortion. Johnny Rotten does not say whether he is for or against the subject, but it is based on a real life experience of someone he knew. For more information about Sex Pistols, you can read John Lydon's Autobiography, or get the classic albums DVD on Nevermind the Bollocks. In the early 90's a similar musical impact would occur with another band that was influenced by Sex Pistols, that would be Nirvana, but that is another story.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The Gang of Four were formed by a bunch of university kids in 1977 and came from Leeds. The group consisted of four members, Jon King on vocals, Andy Gill on guitar, Dave Allen on bass,and hugo burnham on drums. The groups sound was associated with punk and new wave. The band used odd musical stylings with rampid political messages. The group used heavy distortion on and basslines along with Kings jumpy vocal style to create something very different. Several Eps and albums were released by the group the most notably was their first two albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold. After those albums and a few Ep's the group started to change their sound and went in more of a funk, dance, and dub direction. They were definitely different, they were a post-punk band that would influence many more in the long run. In 2004, the Gang of Four reunited and in 2005 made an album of re-recorded songs titled Return The Gift.

Their sound influenced many bands such as Rage Against The Machine and Nirvana. Both these bands have stated that Gang of Four was an influence on them. If you listen to Entertainment! and then some Rage Against The Machine songs, you can hear the influence. With the rise of the group Franz Ferdinand in 2004, it was obvious that they were influenced by the group immensely. They sound very similar to Gang of Four, and definitely are the modern version of them. The Song played on tonight's show was "Natural's Not In" from the album Entertainment!, which is in my opinion their best effort. The album originally contained 12 songs, but was re-released in 2006 with bonus tracks and the Yellow EP all on the same disc. If you liked song played on this weeks show, you should definitely pick up this Rhino re-release of the album.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Hey, just a quick note, you can post comments by clicking comments at end of each post. Any feedback would be appreciated.

In other news The Who are planning on releasing new material despite the loss of their bass player John Entwistle in 2002. Wire & Glass, which contains two songs from their upcoming release titled Endless Wire was released in August. Wire & Glass is a 7 minute mini-opera, like A Quick One While He's Away and songs found on the album Tommy. This is The Who's first full length album release since It's Hard in 1982. For full tracklisting and cover art visit Pete Townshend's Website http://www.petetownshend.co.uk

The Who influenced many of the early punk bands I've played on my radio show such as The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Generation X, Ramones, Buzzcocks,and even newer bands like Pearl Jam and Green Day. Green Day for those of you who don't know, took The Who's idea of a rock opera and applied it to their punk-rock opera and album, American Idiot. It did extremely well. I think i'll play some Who on this Wednesdays upcoming show.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Every week on my blog (or as often as I can), I will post the play list from my radio show and some information about some of the bands I play. This week I will talk about The Clash.

The songs I played from The Clash this week were from their album Sandinista!,which was released in 1980. The album was recorded in New York at Electric Ladyland Studios, and showed The Clash going even further than they did on their brilliant album London Calling. It showed The Clash covering all styles such as their usual reggae and punk. They also experimented with jazz, gospel, dub, rockabilly, among other styles. Let's Go Crazy is a more of a reggae/Caribbean song, while If Music Could Talk, is definitely jazz influenced. Sandinista! is definitely an underrated album. Some fans believe that if it was released as a single album it would have been The Clash's best album, but it was released as a triple album (on vinyl) in 1980. This is an album that is hard to get used to all at once, but after a few listens it sounds great.

After the album Combat Rock, guitarist Mick Jones was fired from the band, along with drummer Topper Headon and The Clash were essentially over. They made one more album Cut The Crap with a different line-up and only original members Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, and was more of original band manager Bernie Rhoads creation. The album was followed by a short busking-type tour, then they split. Mick Jones would go on to form Big Audio Dynamite, Paul did a one off project Havana 3AM, and Joe did films. He returned in the late nineties with a new band Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. I played the song Cool n' Out from the album Global A-Go-Go, which is one of the three albums released by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. Joe unfortunately passed away in 2002, just before The Clash were inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. The Clash's music still stands the test of time.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Hi,Welcome to my blog. Revolution Rock is the name of a radio show that I do on CJAM 91.5FM in the Windsor/Detroit area. I play 60's/70's punk rock, 80's new wave/post-punk, as well as some new rock too. I've been doing the show now for about three years and have just completed my 111th show. I'm on every Wednesday night from 9PM-10:30PM, so don't forget to tune in. You can also stream it online from the cjam website, www.cjam.ca

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About The Show

Revolution Rock is an award winning radio program on CJAM FM that first began broadcasting on CJAM’s airwaves in the late night hours of June 2004. Revolution Rock focuses on 60s garage rock, 70s punk/new wave, surf, alternative, indie and new/old music within those genres. Currently the show can be heard Saturday's from 7-9 PM on CJAM 99.1 FM (in the Windsor/Detroit area) and streamed online at cjam.ca. This is an informative blog that provides band profiles, download links to the radio show, playlists and more.

About Me

I am the host of the Revolution Rock radio program on CJAM 99.1 FM (Windsor/Detroit), freelance blogger/writer, musician and film maker.
Download links to my show are provided by the the CJAM website and can be found at the bottom of each play list on this blog and can also be subscribed to as a podcast.